Millersville's Derek Kline (left) and Mercyhurst's Adam Gray (right).
PSAC Baseball Athletes of the Week - 6
Lock Haven, Pa. - Kutztown’s Shayne Houck earns his second straight PSAC East Player of the Week honor this week after a three-home run, seven-RBI game last week. Millersville’s Derek Kline is the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week after a complete game three-hitter helped his team defeat Shippensburg. California’s Troy Handza was an on-base machine, reaching base in two-thirds of his plate appearances last week and he is this week’s PSAC West Player of the Week. Two hurlers share this week’s PSAC West Pitcher of the Week honors as Mercyhurst’s Adam Gray and IUP’s Steve Mondschein are the Co-Pitchers of the Week.
PSAC East Player of the Week
Shayne Houck, Kutztown
Sophomore, 3B
Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown
Houck is the PSAC East Player of the Week for the second straight week after hitting .583 (7-for-12) with five runs scored, a double, three home runs and nine RBI in just three games, all non-conference wins, for Kutztown last week. He had a 1.417 slugging percentage and a .615 on-base percentage. His best performance of the week came in a 13-6 win over Bloomfield in which he had three home runs and seven RBI to almost single-handedly lead the Bears to the win. He also went 2-for-4 and knocked in a run in a 8-4 win over Washington Adventist in the first game on Friday and then scored two runs, went 2-for-3 and knocked in one more run in the second game, a 9-7 KU win.
PSAC East Pitcher of the Week
Derek Kline, Millersville
Junior, RHP
Cleona, Pa./Cedar Crest
Kline tossed a complete game three-hitter, limiting Shippensburg to just one run while striking out nine and walking just one to help Millersville to a 6-1 win over the Red Raiders as he is the second straight Marauder hurler to earn the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week award. He allowed just six baserunners in the game and in his last 14 innings, has allowed only one earned run and seven hits.
PSAC West Player of the Week
Troy Handza, California
Sophomore, OF
Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler
Handza hit .536 (9-for-16) to help California to a perfect 6-0 week, including a PSAC West doubleheader sweep of Clarion and a non-conference sweep of Fairmont State. He had a home run and nine RBI, four doubles and scored seven runs. He reached base in two-thirds of his plate appearances (.667) and had a 1.000 slugging percentage. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen bases. In the twinbill against the Golden Eagles, he had an RBI single and a steal in the first game before reaching base four times and scoring three run while collecting an RBI in the nightcap. On Friday against Fairmont State, he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and two run in the first game before collecting an RBI double and scoring a run in the second game. Handza then went a combined 4-for-7 with a double, RBI and a run in the Saturday twinbill sweep.
PSAC West Co-Pitcher of the Week
Adam Gray, Mercyhurst
Senior, RHP
South Euclid, Ohio/Brush
Gray tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout to help Mercyhurst to a 1-0 win over Lock Haven in the first game of a PSAC West weekend series. The performance helped set the tone for the weekend as the Lakers swept the Bald Eagles to run their winning streak to five games. He struck out seven and walked four in the win, getting out of a bases-loaded situation in the fifth inning unscathed.
PSAC West Co-Pitcher of the Week
Steve Mondschein, IUP
Senior, LHP
Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall
Mondschein pitched complete games against both Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock last week, helping the Crimson Hawks to a 5-1 record last week with a doubleheader split against the Lakers and taking three out of four against The Rock. He allowed only one run and 11 hits in 14 innings of work. He tossed a four-hit complete game shutout in a 5-0 win at Mercyhurst on Monday. Mondschein then earned his third straight win with a complete game win against Slippery Rock on Sunday as he scattered seven hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter. He gave up a solo home run in the third, which snapped his 15-inning scoreless streak but other than that only allowed one Rock runner to reach as far as third base.